Healthy living ideas

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Spring time in the Rockies! What a beautiful time of year! The grass is beginning to grow, the baby calves are being born and it looks like summer is within sight!

We recently watched a reality show where the people made their year’s supply of a wonderful salve that they claimed to use on everything from sore muscles to diaper rash. Also known as balm of gilead, the salve contains a bounty of medicinal properties. It’s made from cottonwood buds whose resin contains “salicin” – which is the same compound that gives aspirin it’s pain relieving, anti-inflammatory benefits. Using the balm as an external rub will reduce joint pain (as with arthritis and rheumatism) and will ease sore muscles.

Because cottonwood is high in antioxidants, it is useful for healing the skin, including sunburn. The buds are also antiseptic and can be added to other oils to prevent rancidity and molding.

Since we live on a creek bottom full of cottonwood trees, my interest was piqued.

The best time to harvest the buds is in late winter to early spring – so I grabbed a plastic bucket and headed for the woods.

I picked these buds in early February – they were just beginning to swell. You can see the little drop of resin.

While most recipes called for placing the buds in olive oil, I did find one recipe that used rendered beef fat. I have LOTS of that – beautiful grassfed beef fat – rendered and frozen in blocks. It got my vote!

I placed the frozen fat in my crock pot and put the temperature on low to let it melt. After removing the buds from the twigs I had gathered, they were chopped quickly in a blender.

Then, I combined the melted beef fat with the chopped buds in the crock pot – and gently simmered for about 48 hours. Upon waking on the second morning, our house had a wonderful, aromatic smell! The resin from the buds had turned the rendered fat a slightly orange-ish hue.

I strained the mixture through cheesecloth, wringing to extract all of the oil. At this point, the oil is done – but it is runny (like a baby oil consistency). I wanted to use it more like a salve, so the oil was then warmed with a small amount of candellila wax to “thicken” it. Use about 1 ounce of wax to 5 ounces of oil.

It was poured into jars and then cooled, sealing with a canning lid. Store your salve in a cool, dark place.

A note of caution – I have read that people who are allergic to aspirin may also be allergic to cottonwood bud oil. Please check with your doctor before using if this is the case.

This lovely salve has been our “go to” for arthritis pain and sore muscle rubs. It helped a friend who rubbed it on his elbow afflicted with tendonitis, and it calmed an injection site from a tetanus shot. I think we will be gathering cottonwood buds for years to come!

Almost time to start digging in the dirt! The cool season crops, like spinach, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, peas, etc., are happy to be already planted in our zone 5. They can take the cooler soil and air temperatures. Frankly, they will soon be unhappy when the warmer days are upon us.

My broccoli is growing nicely in the high tunnel. Since my temperatures can get quite high in there and these cool season crops will bolt, I've installed some old hog paneling over the raised beds to accommodate my heat-loving vining crops.

My intention here is to let my pumpkins, cucumbers, squash and melons grow up and over the cool season plants that are growing below. I've planted some vining crop seedlings that I had already started in small pots. As they grow, they will shade the stuff below – keeping them somewhat cooler – and have plenty of room to vine as they wish! I have read that the cucumbers are easy to pick as they will hang down below the openings in the hog panels. The pumpkins and melons will need a “sling” to support them – I'm sure some old pantyhose will do the trick! I'll let you know!

I found a wonderful “comfort food” recipe on Pinterest the other day. It was just perfect to prepare after being out in the cold temperatures – Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole. It dawned on me, as I was making the dish, that the recipe called for cream of (something or other) soup. I've made my own white sauces for many years. It's easy and you can skip all of the preservatives and chemicals that the canned soups contain.

By simply using three simple ingredients and spending about five minutes of your time, you can create a “cream of” soup (white sauce) for your recipe.

Here's how:

For a cup of white sauce (for creamed and scalloped dishes) simply melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan.

Blend in 2 tablespoons of flour, cooking over low heat and stirring until the mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove it from the heat and stir in 1 cup of milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly for one minute. Done! Season as you wish with salt and pepper, etc.

Here's that comfort food recipe: Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

For two servings, I grilled two chicken breasts and sliced them in serving size pieces in the bottom of an 8 x 8 casserole dish. Then chop some deli-sliced ham and sprinkle over the top of the chicken, followed by thin sliced swiss cheese. Prepare your white sauce (recipe above) and when you bring it to its final boil after adding the milk, ADD a good squeeze of fresh lemon, a dollop of dijon mustard, some salt, smoked paprika and white pepper to the sauce. Stir to incorporate. Pour the sauce over your chicken mixture in the baking dish.

Now, as if this recipe doesn't have enough comfort food calories, you finish the dish with a topping. Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a pan, add 1 cup of Panko crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon of Lawrys seasoning salt and a tablespoon of dried parsley. Combine and sprinkle over the chicken dish.

I baked for 30 minutes until the sauce was bubbly and then stuck the dish under the broiler to finish those Panko breadcrumbs into a golden brown.

Wow – is this good! (certainly not a dinner your waistline or arteries could take on a regular basis, but once in a while was sure delicious!)

These wringer washing machines are old relics – perhaps an eyesore on an old farm. I found this one in a heap of metal and got the idea to turn it into a cool ice-chest! It's on wheels, it has a rubber drain hose to dump the melted ice/water at the end of the day, and it has a lot of space for beverages.

The machines were quite heavy, so with my trusty little tractor, I tipped it over and we took the motor out of the underside. The inside of the wash tub itself was aluminum, so I masked it off and prepared to paint.

There are lots of great spray paint colors on the market today – I first chose one that had a “pebbly” appearance that I figured would cover up the rust pox marks. Worked like a dream, but it was a brown color and I was not satisfied with the color. So, I followed that with a cranberry color.

We replaced a couple of casters and were good to go! It rolls out on deck for “outside” summer parties, and can stay in the sunroom for “inside” gatherings. I simply roll the washIng machine to the outside door at the end of the party, drop the discharge hose on the ground and drain out the remaining ice water.

Instant Cooler! Most of the washing machines had a cover that came with them – this one had probably been lost years ago. If you have a cover – it'll help to keep your beverages cold!

We recently returned from a nice getaway to sunny Arizona. Not that our Colorado winter had been too bad this year, but there is something about walking through the department store in February in Arizona and seeing beautiful petunias and marigolds on the shelves. Got my spring fever in high gear! I spent a good portion of the 14 hour drive with my nose shoved firmly into a stack of seed catalogs.

Anyone who has ever planted a carrot seed or a petunia seed, for example, will testify that these seeds are TINY! More than once, I have taken a tweezer and carefully picked up the seed to place into a waiting peat pot. At my age, you need bright light for that!

Since I use block planting in my raised beds, I saw a post that should just make my “tiny seed planting” a bit easier! It is a project that I am able to complete now – long before we are ready to plant outdoors. It should help me scratch that itch that hits so many Gardeners this time of year – the need to plant something!

With block planting (see my post: Here's the Scoop (on dirt!). March 15, 2013) you are able to utilize 100% of your bed. Each seed is strategically planted to optimize it's growing requirements and spaced to shade and choke out the weeds. All good on paper – but trying to get those little carrot seeds every 3″ is another story.

Enter the paper towel seed tape!

Pull apart your roll of double-ply paper towel, folding the top ply back out of the way. Mix up equal parts of flour and water and grab a small craft-type paint brush. I was preparing enough homemade seed tape to plant carrot seeds every 3″ on center and cover an 8' x 4' raised bed. I looked all over and couldn't find a small paint brush, but found that just a dribble of the flour/water paste came off a teaspoon quite nicely – so no brush seemed necessary. I found it helpful to mark the toweling in a grid pattern so that I could just dab the flour/water mixture in the right spot easily.

Go right to the edge of the paper towel – that way if you are planting more than one row of toweling in a garden, you will know where the last seed edge is located. Lightly tap the seeds out of the package, or use a tweezer, if necessary, and drop one seed in each dab of paste. Use enough paste that it will hold the seed and the top ply of paper towel in place as it dries. This 3″ on center technique works for block planting. If you are simply planting in a row, check your seed packet to give you insight on the spacing you”ll need for planting. You can easily cut paper towel “strips” for row planting using this same method.

One of the great things about planting carrots with your homemade seed tape is that when the plants grow, they are already perfectly spaced and will require no thinning! It is so much easier placing the dark carrot seed on the correct spot with the white background of the paper towel and flour glue. I was able to construct the rolls in the warmth and light of my kitchen weeks before I would be able to plant outside. As soon as they dry, I will label them, roll them up and store in a cool dry place. Now….where are those petunia seeds???

Here is a recipe that just may change your opinion of a “kale” salad. It is packed full of color, flavor, fruits and veggies, is super-nutritious, and is just plain delicious!! The dressing is a simple mixture of fruit juice and olive oil. Give it a try!

Start with a bunch of freshly washed/dried kale – baby kale is ideal, however, I had good results from just removing the center rib section from my bigger leaves. To this, I added a good-sized handful of baby spinach leaves. Chop or tear all the leaves into small sections and place in a large salad bowl.

Next, toast one-half cup sliced almonds on top of the stove until slightly brown. Set aside to cool.

Dressing: In a separate small bowl, zest an orange. (Reserve the fruit for later). Add 1/4 cup of a good (organic) extra virgin olive oil to the bowl followed by 2 tablespoons of orange juice which you will squeeze from the orange you just zested. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice, a little salt and pepper and then stir.

Add 1/2 cup of cran-raisins and the toasted almonds to the kale/spinach mixture and top with the dressing that you've made. Toss to coat thoroughly and let stand at least one hour.

Just for fun, I also added some roasted sunflower seeds and raw hemp hearts. The hemp hearts have a nutty taste and add some all important Omega 3s to the dish!

Peel the rind from the remaining orange and chop fruit into small sections.

The dressing gives the salad a light, fruity flavor. Packed with goodness – hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

It started a few years back – you know, you run out of some ingredient and you have to either find a substitute or go without. Where I live, the closest grocery store is a half-hour away. With fuel over $3.00 a gallon, I figure a trip has to be very necessary at that price – so homemade became my motto. About five years ago, I vowed to avoid processed food. Living on a farm with a great big garden made that really easy. I don't eat every meal good, but at least five out of seven is healthy, homegrown, and without preservatives.

I challenge myself each time I go to the grocery store to see what aisle I can avoid. Haven't seen anything in the freezer aisle for years….because it is all processed food. If I am hungry for waffles, I make my own from scratch. I know… I understand that I do not have to leave home for an 8 to 5 job anymore so I have time to live this way, but I also think I would still get up early to keep this style of living even if I had to be out the door to punch a clock.

In the next few posts, I thought I would share a few more reasons to avoid buying prepackaged items. Usually, you can make a batch of glass cleaner, non-abrasive cleaner or laundry detergent for pennies on the dollar AND make a large batch while you're at it. You spend the time to make a big batch of laundry detergent and you are set for months.

So here's a few ideas for your own homemade fabric softener – perhaps one of them will fit your lifestyle!

First option: crumple a few balls of aluminum foil and place in the dryer with a load of clothes. As crazy as that sounds, the metal dissipates the charges that build up between the fabric as it flops around in the dryer.

Second option: plain old vinegar to the final rinse water. It will not only take the leftover soap out of your clothes, but also helps to clean washers and drain hoses too! You do not the risk of smelling like a pickle from using vinegar – when your clothes are dry, the smell has dissipated. If you insist, you can add 10-20 drops of an essential oil (eucalyptus or lavender for example) to the vinegar.

Third option and my favorite to date: Take 2 cups of a cheap hair conditioner and combine it with 6 cups of hot water. When it is all mixed together, add 3 cups of plain white vinegar. No chemicals, no artificial flavors or colors. This makes a family sized batch – pennies on the dollar,

So – here are a few ideas for you to start you off! Many more to follow. If you have a great homemade, no preservative, no processed, no artificial anything you'd like to share – let me know!